Once this remark would have induced actual physical rage in Judy. But, just for that second, her biggest regret about Covid is that it stops her from giving her ex-colleague a hug.
In the end Ruth takes Kate shopping with her but leaves her in the car when she goes into the supermarket.
慣ext me if you抮e worried about anything,?she says. 慖 won抰 be long.?Ruth looks at the line of socially distanced shoppers. 慛ot that long anyway.?
慖抣l be OK,?says Kate. She抯 playing a game on her phone that seems to involve a bird flying over a series of low hills.
Should Ruth lock the car? But what if Kate is trapped in it? But, if she leaves Kate with the keys, someone could steal her and the car. In the end she does lock it but tells Kate how to open the doors if necessary.
慖 know, Mum,?says Kate, not looking up from the bird抯 aerial adventures.
Ruth queues, looking back at the car every few minutes. Kate抯 head is bent over the game. Would she even notice if an axe murderer tapped on the window? But axe murderers are in short supply in King抯 Lynn this morning. 慔ow would you know??Nelson would say. Ruth looks at her hands on the handle of her shopping trolley. She抯 wearing plastic gloves today, which makes them look rather sinister. Maybe other people in the queue have hands that have been put to evil, murderous use. She stares hard at the elderly woman in front of her （surely, she should be shielding at home?） until the force of her scrutiny makes the woman turn and give her a timid smile, recognisable even behind her mask. Stop it, Ruth tells herself.
Once she is finally granted admission, Ruth throws food into her trolley without much regard for price or quality. She does remember the gourmet cat food though and scores the last packet of penne.
In the payment queue Ruth looks at the newspaper stand. 慡hambles,?says one headline. 慓et a grip Bozo,?says another. Ruth抯 beloved Guardian has, 慥irus patients more likely to die have ventilators taken away.?Ruth doesn抰 buy a copy. Eventually she is through the checkout, once again marvelling at the assistant抯 unruffled good humour, and zigzagging her trolley through the car park. Kate is still intent on her game. Ruth opens the boot and starts heaving the bags in.
慏id you get Jaffa Cakes??asks Kate.
慜f course.?She抯 not about to forget the essentials.
慏ad rang,?says Kate. 慔e said he was trying to get through to you. He said to be careful because there are lots of funny people in supermarket car parks.?
Ruth doesn抰 ring Nelson until she is home with a cup of tea and a Jaffa Cake. She knows he can抰 have news of Cathbad because she has just had a text from Judy saying, 憂o change? She assumes that he抯 just ringing to check up on her because she mentioned the perilous supermarket trip that morning.
But Nelson starts out with, 慦hat do you know about the Grey Lady??
慣he Grey Lady of Tombland??
慔ow many Grey Ladies are there? No, don抰 answer that one. Bloody Norfolk is probably full of them.?
慞robably.?It抯 on the tip of Ruth抯 tongue to say, 慉sk Cathbad?but no one can ask Cathbad anything, possibly ever again. 慡he抯 a ghost that haunts Augustine Steward抯 House by the cathedral,?she says. 慦hy??
慐ileen Gribbon left a note for her friend in halls. It was a postcard of the Grey Lady. I wondered if there was a link to Joe McMahon. Didn抰 you say he was obsessed with her??
慖 don抰 know about obsessed but my friend Janet said he was asking questions about her. And she抎 seen Joe hanging around Tombland. I told you that.?
慖 rang Janet Meadows,?says Nelson. 慡he said she didn抰 think there was any harm in McMahon. Not that I trust her opinion. She kept going on about living in a haunted house. Practically said she was kept awake by ghoulies and ghosties.?
慗anet is perfectly rational,?says Ruth. 慗ust because she believes in things you don抰。？
慖 might try ringing her again,?says Nelson. 慗ust in case McMahon has turned up. Or the girl. Eileen. I don抰 like the fact that she seems to be a fan of this Grey Lady too.?